Northeast, Midwest face midweek winter storm

Submitted

Despite a spring-like
start to the week, AccuWeather.com reports winter and substantial snow
will make a comeback across the Midwest and Northeast at midweek.

A winter storm will take
shape across the lower Midwest states Tuesday night and
then track into the Northeast and Atlantic Canada Wednesday
through Thursday.

The storm will drop a
swath of substantial snow along the cold side of its path, threatening to cause
yet another round of disruptions to travel and daily routines. Parents should
prepare for a day or two of school cancellations in the areas hit the hardest.

The corridor from
northern and central Indiana to northern New England has the greatest potential
of being targeted by the substantial snow.

While a plowable
snowstorm is anticipated across parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley, the
heaviest snow will target interior New England. Totals can exceed 1 foot in
northern New England, where near-blizzard conditions may evolve.

Along the northern New
England coast, the snow may first mix with or fall as rain.

Motorists can anticipate
difficult driving conditions on lengthy stretches of highways and interstates.
The snow could come down heavily for a time, quickly clogging roads and making
travel treacherous.

Numerous flight delays
and cancellations can be expected throughout the lower Midwest and Northeast
with potential ripple-effect delays elsewhere in the U.S.

The storm will initially
spread mainly rain across communities around the Ohio River and along the I-95
corridor from Providence, R.I., to New York City to Washington, D.C.

However, colder air
plunging southward on the back side of the storm may set the stage for the rain
to end as a period of snow and/or cause any wet spots on untreated roads and
sidewalks to turn icy.

Such danger will unfold
across the Ohio Valley on Wednesday, then will shift to
the corridor of I-95 that is mentioned above Wednesday
night and Thursday morning.

The impending winter
storm will come despite a taste of spring across the eastern half of the nation
early this week.

As the warmth begins to
build throughout the Midwest and East on Monday, the
storm - in its beginning stages - will focus its snow on the northern Rockies
with amounts topping 6 inches across central Idaho.

The snow will streak
southeastward to Iowa through Tuesday evening with
amounts lessening to a couple inches. A separate band of snow with similar
totals will also drop along the I-25 corridor of southern Wyoming and Colorado
during this time.

Tuesday night is when moisture
from the Gulf of Mexico will be tapped into and the winter storm will begin to
ramp up.